XO
bistro & Bar
Many thanks to Vincent for the invitation to enjoy the hospitality at XO.
Vincent comes from a ``restaurant family``. Growing up in that kind of environment, he knows his way around a kitchen.
XO Bistro and Bar is nestled between Boardwalk and the Ice District. XO had their soft opening in November of 2016 and their grand opening in mid December, so the doors have not been open very long. It is a comfortable, modern bistro with a high ceiling. It has a small window located near the top with an improvised dumbwaiter. I will tell you about that a bit later.
During the day, the menu has more traditional Vietnamese dishes. On the evening menu, there is a whole lot of fusion going on!
My visit had a lot of food. I wish I had some more people with me so that I could try a few more of their dishes. Next time!
Vincent brought out a selection of the more popular dishes; Oxtail Fries, Betel Leaf Beef Rolls, Salad Rolls, and Bone Marrow.
The Oxtail Fries are quite the spin on the everyday. Tender oxtail layered on French fries and topped off with a fried egg. The oxtail was quite good, great texture. I am not a huge salt fan, so this dish was a bit too salty for me, but I am sure that other people would enjoy it.
I have never tasted a betel leaf before, so I was excited for a new taste adventure. The meat was tender and the leaves were perfectly cooked. All the flavours of the rolls blend together perfectly.
The salad rolls had their own twist as well. There is a deep fried spring roll wrapper on the inside giving it a pleasant crunchy texture when you bite down on it. The meat was grilled and tasty, the noodles were perfect, not rubbery.
The bone marrow is served with a dusting of parmesan. This was my favourite dish of the night. It brought back memories of childhood, only the execution was much better! I would go back for this dish on its own.
I missed out on the mini Vietnamese subs this time around, so I must go back for those. Vincent also gave me a great recommendation for a sub shop in Calgary for my next trip.
Vincent tries to use local ingredients as much as possible. XO has a special edition of Pinocchio Ice Cream coming out that is a Vietnamese Coffee flavour. Sounds divine.
I didn't have room for dessert because Vincent made sure I was completely stuffed! I found out however, that the dumbwaiter that I mentioned earlier was connected to the Gong Cha bubble tea shop located upstairs. I LOVE bubble tea. It was just enough sweet to hit the spot and bring home with me.
Live music happens Friday and Saturday, and it there is a HUGE screen to watch the game.
The cocktails are awesome and inventive! They remind me of the little martini bar that used to be in Oliver square that I adored... The Dragon Mojito is made with Sake, pineapple, ginger, lime and mint. Very refreshing. They also have a premium vodka called "Royal Dragon" which has gold flecks in it.
There is a parkade located right across the street, and it is within walking distance of Rogers Place. It is a great place to have drinks before or after an event at the arena.
It was an awesome visit with XO with some really great eats. I am looking forward to next time!
May Taste of the Month
by
YEGfoodie
14